“Cary’s deep Catholic faith is demonstrated throughout his personal and professional life,” wrote Father Michael Skluzacek, Cary Becker’s pastor, who nominated Becker for a Leading With Faith Award.

“His desire for providing quality craftsmanship at affordable prices combined with his passion for the needs of area organizations engaged in God’s work is what makes Cary a real leader with faith.”

Father Skluzacek has witnessed Becker’s work firsthand at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton, where Becker led a renovation of the parish rectory. The owner of Becker Building and Remodeling, he has applied his building expertise to several projects for his parish and nonprofit organizations.

Cary Becker, 57

Company Becker Building and Remodeling LLC
Title Owner
Parish St. John the Baptist, New Brighton
Spouse Diane, married 33 years
Children Caroline, Annette (and spouse Mark), Sarah, Maria
Volunteer activities Trustee and Parish Leadership Council for Saint John the Baptist Parish in New Brighton, Board of Directors for Trinity Sober Homes
Education Sauk Centre High School and St. Cloud Technical College

How do you apply your faith and Catholic values at work?

Our Catholic values play into our work each and every day. There’s no separation between who I am as a Catholic and who I am as a contractor. With our day to day work, this shows in our integrity, attitude, discipline, dedication, and how we work with people. Practically this might be honest pricing and fair wages, owning and fixing mistakes, or making a weekend house call when the plumbing  is problematic. Regardless, our duty as Catholics is to treat every person with dignity in everything we do.

Please tell a story about a time when applying your faith at work really made a difference.

My Catholic faith makes a difference every time I step back to remember it’s not about me. In the midst of frustrations, challenges, time constraints, mistakes, or conflicts, my faith regularly helps me to refocus and remember priorities. Sometimes the balance of duties and obligations to projects such as the Trinity Sober Homes, church facility repairs, or the Abria Life Care Center can be difficult to manage; how do we continue to stay competitive and meet operating costs while still taking care of the very organizations that are on the front lines of living our Catholic faith?   Remembering to pray, trust, and understand that the Lord’s will is greater than mine — I find peace and strength in those things, and having that balanced approach allows us to be a force that is both competitive and is able to support our local Catholics in big ways.

Who or what has been most inspirational to you in bringing your faith to your workplace?

The most inspirational thing for me in this business are the people I work with and the clients I work for. Whether it’s a subcontractor or a new client, we’re all on a different faith journey and we all can learn from one another. It might be the elderly lady who calls us and trusts us simply because we’re Catholic, or the young parents with a house full of kids who need a more practical kitchen, everyone is in a different place with different needs and different stories, but we’re all in this together.  I never know who I’m going to meet or what I’ll learn — the inspiration never stops!

What achievement at work are you most proud of?

I can’t identify a single achievement because I am so proud of our day to day work. Many clients are simply grateful for a job well done, but I’m proud that we’re focused on providing quality work with integrity on every job for every client. We see how important honesty, diligence, details, and reliability are to our clients, and when we exceed expectations it motivates us even more. This day to day dedication, with care and integrity, is what I am most proud of.

In what specific way have you experienced God’s presence in your workplace?

This is closely tied with what inspires me; it’s in the leading, guiding, sharing, and listening with those I meet. I never know what clients I’ll meet, and it’s always exciting when I discover that someone else likes to share and grow in their faith.  Our work with Fr. Martin Fleming, and the Trinity Sober Homes is a great example.  What he does for men that are in recovery, and his years of dedication and persistence is always an inspiration for me. There are times when their task seems so huge, that they’re taking on so much and we’ll never be able to support them, but it always works. Whenever I feel we’re too busy for what they need, I am somehow reminded of what their mission is and that we have the knowledge, talent and responsibility to help make their mission possible. Those little movements of the soul — those guiding feelings that point me in the right direction and make balance possible are God’s presence in action.

What advice do you have for others who want to lead with faith?

Get to know the folks you work with beyond just their work, show a genuine authentic interest, and that will open the door to leading with faith. Living our lives and Catholic values authentically and witnessing to our faith isn’t easy, but we have to trust that it’s the right thing to do. The world needs to see business leaders leading with their faith and making decisions with our Catholic values. But the courage to do that must lie somewhere, I think it’s in hope.   It’s on a shirt I own from the Rediscover conference that has Pope Francis’ words: Bet on Hope.  It’s in betting on hope, betting on the hope that if we lead as we’re called to lead, it’ll bring great things.